Should you Marie Kondo your workout?

Nothing takes the world by storm like a new Netflix series, and Marie Kondo’s‘The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up’ is no exception. Those who have seen it will know about Marie’s simple (but genius) approach to decluttering your life and tidying your house. She asks the question – “does this item spark joy?” If your answer is no, then you can throw it out the door.

4 reasons why you should Marie Kondo your workout

1. You will have more motivation

I always say variety is the spice of life, and when it comes to training I believe mixing it up is essential. Let’s face it, doing the same thing day in, day out is bound to get boring. Refocusing your energy on doing exercise that you love instead of workouts that feel like a chore will help relight the motivation flame that has gone out.

2. Your mindset will shift

Too many people view exercise as punishment, rather than something we do to make ourselves feel good. By doing exercise that we actually love, we can shift our mindset to think of exercise as a tool to help us feel amazing rather than as a tool to punish ourselves for what we eat. When we are more psychologically and emotionally invested in a workout, we’re also much more likely to stick with it.

3. You will simplify your routine

Cutting out the exercise that doesn’t bring you joy and only focusing on the training that does will free up space in your routine. You will have more time to focus on the things you genuinely enjoy.

4. You will push yourself harder

We are undeniably more passionate about doing the things we love. When we do exercise that makes us feel good – we naturally push ourselves harder and are more likely to continually commit to it and will achieve results because of this.

So if you have decided your training routine is in need a bit of a shake up and you need to beat those motivation blues, here are a few tips to get you started.

How to Marie Kondo your workout

1. Ask yourself this

Look at the exercise you do throughout the week and ask yourself ‘do you enjoy doing it or enjoy the feeling you get after this exercise?’ If the answer is no to both, then have a break from it for the time being.

2. Declutter your diary

Work out what keeps you from getting more movement in your day and clear space in your diary to make room for it. Are there lunch breaks you could make more use of? Unnecessary sleep-ins you don’t need? Time where you spend mindlessly scrolling through Instagram that could be used more efficiently?

3. Find your favourite

Find something new, go back to something you used to love or experiment and discover exercise that truly brings you joy. Whether you try dancing, ocean swimming, Pilates or boxing – this is entirely up to you. Just find something gives you those post-workout endorphins, soaring energy levels and makes you feel amazing, both physically and mentally.

Don’t get me wrong, this is not a free pass to ditch your workout routine altogether because sometimes you don’t feel up to it. Sometimes, we simply won’t feel like doing the things we love because we are too tired, have had a huge day at work or just aren’t up to it. This is just a natural part of life. But if you have found yourself in a workout rut, then the above steps might be just what you need to get back in the game and rediscover that force of motivation.